Sorry about not updating in a while. Oh well. Here we go.
Sunday, October 11
POV: Ruby
Ruby ceased the flow of energy as the last new scale on Cerise' belly formed. After several hours of work, almost all of the holes in the dragon's scale coat were filled. Cerise hummed and nuzzled Ruby's face. Thank you, my Gem, she said.
"I'm not done yet," Ruby breathed. "I still have to get your leg."
You have done more than enough for today. You're exhausted, and you have the dance tonight. You need to look your best.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to those heels. Whoever came up with them had no idea what they were doing."
Cerise hummed happily. You know that's not what I meant. Ruby couldn't hold back a smile. After nearly a week of tinkering and testing, she finally thought that her new skin for her bionic limbs were ready to be 'worn.' Even if the nervous system didn't work, she wouldn't have to worry about wearing those gloves anymore.
The only other person to know about the skin was Yang, and even she didn't know it was ready. Earlier in the week, Ruby borrowed a full sleeved dress from Weiss to help with the cover-up. The heiress wanted to have the dress fit for Ruby, but was turned down. It would have only been worn once before it was handed back. White wasn't exactly Ruby's color anyway. She felt kind of guilty for borrowing it and not using it, but at the same time, she only did so in case her skin wasn't ready.
"Well in that case, I should probably start getting ready then." Ruby rubbed Cerise' snout then walked out of the Dragonhouse. She struggled not to sprint across campus to her workshop. As much as she wanted to put the new skin on, she still didn't want to draw attention to herself. Having someone check on her while she was folding the skin around her arm or leg would blow the whole thing, in more ways than one.
As Ruby neared her workshop, she saw Sun and Neptune walking out of the cafeteria. She thought back to after the last sparring class and how Blake turned Sun down for the dance. That was the start of Blake's complete downward spiral. She didn't disappear completely like Aaron did, though she rarely spoke to her teammates and skipped several classes. Yang said she could get her partner to the dance, but Ruby doubted it. Then again, she did snap Aaron out of his funk, and she had no plan going in.
Ruby opened the door to her team's workshop and hurried to pick up the box that contained her new skin. As an afterthought, she locked the door behind her. Then she opened the box, and she carefully removed the portion that would wrap around her arm and hand.
As cool as it was, Ruby was extremely uncomfortable handling the skin. After days of marinating in various chemicals, the cloth gained the exact look, feel, and consistency of human skin. She was never the best at chemistry, so didn't exactly know how it worked. Then again, if it worked for Penny, it worked for her.
Ruby set the large piece of skin on the workbench with the inside up. She looked over the circuitry to see if there were any breaks. While the outside looked natural, the inside looked like a large, flexible circuit board. The entire surface was covered with wires, nodes, and other assorted electronic components. It was designed to take a pounding, and would only fully tear if intentionally cut. Still, she wasn't expecting to be in an Auraless and wardless sword fight anytime soon. Looking back, she realized it was the other side of this part she saw in the cuts in Penny's skin.
She turned her attention to the only part that was fully her design; the connection to where skin met bionic arm. Ruby studied every single attempt to incorporate a nervous system into a bionic limb inside and out. Some didn't do anything other than add weight to the limb. Others though did make the recipient feel something. Unfortunately, that something was excruciating pain, as if they were losing the limb all over again, only all over the new limb. In the end, Ruby decided to take elements of several connections and make her own. The rest of the system should work as it's turned on.
You ready if needed Cerise? Ruby asked.
Cerise mind flowed into Ruby's. I'm here. If the worst happens, you won't be in pain for long. The day before, the two of them had practiced Cerise taking control of Ruby's natural arm to kill the power on her bionic one. Even though it was Cerise, Ruby didn't like feeling her arm move by someone else's command. It wasn't natural. Still, it was better than the alternative.
Ruby took her gloves off and rolled up her right sleeve. She picked up the first connecting piece on her new skin and held it above the correct slot on her arm. Even though there shouldn't be any power in the slot, there was the possibility she did something wrong and it would be active right away. She held her breath and counted to three, then gently connected arm and skin. There was a light click, but no pain shot up her arm. Ruby released her breath, then started wrapping the rest of the skin around her arm.
The process was delicate work. The folds around her all the joints were difficult to get right. Wrapping her fingers was an incredible time sink. A few of them she had to try multiple times. The fact that she was doing it all with one hand didn't help. Ruby thought she should have asked Yang to help, but it was too late for that. Weiss and she were already making the final preparations for the dance.
After she didn't know how long, Ruby held her right arm out in front of her. It looked real enough, if a bit crumpled in places. She flexed her arm several times, testing if there were any spots that were too tight and needed to be adjusted. The crumpled areas actually fixed themselves as the tight areas pulled excess material from where there was too much. Most people wouldn't notice the difference. Only if someone really examined it would they be able to see something was wrong. Probably Coco from a distance too.
Finally, Ruby turned her eyes to the newly expanded control panel on her arm. There were two new buttons, the power on and off for the nervous system. The moment of truth, Ruby thought. Cerise once again flooded her Rider's mind with her own. Still, Ruby tensed up and closed an eye while she reached for the on button. She held her breath as she pushed the power on…
…and felt nothing. No pain, no other feelings. Ruby sighed as she closed the small hatch covering the control panel. Then she snapped her eyes back open and stared at her hand. "Was that…" She stared at her hand, then blew a small puff of air at it. A huge smile broke out on her face. She felt it. She actually felt it.
Ruby moved her arm through the air, feeling the air flow by. She increased the speed, and ended up spinning in a circle in the center of the workshop. In a state of pure ecstasy, Ruby laughed and jumped around the workshop. She ran both her hands through her hair, taking an extra-long with her right. Not exactly knowing what she was doing, she set her right hand down on the workbench, picked up a hammer, and slammed it down on her hand. That was the first time Ruby has happy to be in pain.
When she finally calmed down, Ruby sat down in a chair and held her head in her hands. "I did it," she whispered. "I really did it."
Cerise hummed over their mental link. You are becoming whole again, my Gem. Just don't forget about your leg.
Ruby blinked, then looked down at her bionic leg under her tights. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then rolled up the pant leg and took off her shoe and sock. From there she repeated the process she used on her arm. Since she had use of both hands this time, the work flew by.
When her leg and foot were all covered, Ruby again braced for pain when she hit the on button, but it never came. She ran her newly covered hand over her leg, and she nearly exploded out of her chair. While her excitement wasn't as full force as before, it was still a breath of fresh air.
Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. "Normal knees again." Ruby rolled her sleeve and pant leg back down. She replaced her footwear and picked up the gloves from the workbench and stared at them. They weren't needed anymore. They could be thrown away. Then again, Ruby planned on surprising her team at the dance. She put the gloves back on for hopefully the last time, then left the workshop.
A message appeared in the top right corner of her vision. Two hours until dance? She thought in disbelief. How long was I in there?
Quite a while, Cerise said, her own happiness flowing off her like a river. You have time.
Good thing I'm not as obsessed with makeup as Weiss. As Ruby walked across campus, she had to fight to keep a smile off her face. Even though her bionic limbs were covered, she felt the wind on them through her clothes. She shivered ever so slightly, but not from the cold.
Ruby returned to her dorm room and dramatically opened her wardrobe. She stared up and down her red and gray dress. Her eyes traveled to the bottom and her shoulders slumped. "Heels make everything worse…"
POV: Aaron
"Nalia, are you sure this is right?" Aaron asked his dragon as he adjusted his tie. "This thing's practically choking me."
The woman at the store said that this suit fits perfectly on you, Nalia responded. If I were a human woman, I'd say you look very handsome.
Aaron looked up at his dragon with slightly narrowed eyes. "Don't be creepy." Nalia huffed, but didn't say anything else. "I'd better get going. Don't want to be late."
Have fun. Don't break a leg.
"Ha, ha." Aaron left the Dragonhouse and started walking toward the ballroom. Back in Alagaësia, he never had the chance to attend a ball or a dance of any kind. Everyone he knew who had been to one though said they were amazing. Still, Aaron didn't exactly know how to dance. He might just be standing by the wall for most of the time.
As Aaron neared the ballroom, he saw Ruby stumbling in the same direction. If he didn't know any better, he's say Ruby was drunk. "Need a hand?" Aaron called.
Ruby turned back to face him and smiled. "I'm good. I already have one." She held up her right hand and waved. Aaron chuckled. If they were alone, Ruby would have taken that arm off and waved it with her left hand.
Aaron walked over to Ruby, and he looked at Ruby's right arm. It looked normal. He shook his head, figuring it was just the light from the light poles playing tricks on him. As he got closer though, he saw that was not the case. Her arm was wrapped in something that looked exactly like human skin. "Uh, Ruby, when did that happen?" Aaron pointed at Ruby's right arm.
The younger Rider's smile grew. "Three hours ago. Took me all week, but I did it." Ruby's smile grew even more. "It works, too. I can feel again."
Aaron drew a sharp breath in. "How is that possible?"
Ruby smirked. "My little secret." She turned around on a heel, or tried to anyway. She lost her balance and started to fall over. Aaron caught her though before she could fall far.
"You feeling okay Ruby?" Aaron asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine, it's just these heels." Ruby lifted up and turned her left foot. A long stick stuck out of the heel of the shoe.
"That doesn't look safe." Aaron stared at the stick, trying to figure out why anyone would wear a shoe like that.
"I know! Right?" Ruby freed herself from Aaron's arms. "I don't know why these are a thing, but people love them!"
"Well then," Aaron stuck his right arm out at an angle with his fist on a hip, "would you like some help balancing?"
Ruby blinked a few times and blushed in the moonlight. "Oh, umm, sure." She looped her left arm through Aaron's and the two continued to the dance together.
"I saw what you did for Cerise. That was some nice work."
"I ran out of time to get to her leg though. Then again, if I went on, I'd probably be in bed right now. That was exhausting. How long does it take for magic to get easier?"
"You only started a month and a half ago. It normally takes about six for a Rider to get comfortable with it. You've got a long way to go." Ruby made a grumbling noise but she still had a smile on her face.
Aaron pulled open the door to the ballroom and the two Riders stepped inside. Yang was standing behind a podium and was wearing a white dress. Her hair was still as messy as ever. The blonde looked up and her eyes settled on her sister. Her face lit up. "Oh, you look beautiful!" she squealed. Finally, Yang noticed Aaron, and her eyes drifted to where the other two Riders' arms were intertwined. Her eyes drifted again to Ruby's right arm and her eyes grew wide. Yang looked back at Ruby's face, who just smiled and nodded. "Is there something going on here?"
"The only thing going on is these heels." Ruby lifted a foot off the ground and fell into Aaron's side. "Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Yang burst out laughing, but at what part, Aaron couldn't tell.
"Your guess is as good as mine, sis," Yang finally got out. "You're going to have to explain that to me later though." She pointed at Ruby's right arm.
"I believe I owe all of you that explanation." Ruby freed her arm from Aaron's and she stumbled all the way over to the punch bowl. Aaron watched her go, if only to make sure she didn't fall flat on her face.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yang staring at him. Aaron turned back to the blonde. "Is there something wrong?"
"Were you just escorting Ruby, or are you two here together?"
Aaron paused of a second, unsure of how to answer. "I just saw her stumbling outside and I offered her some support. It's as simple as that."
Yang blinked, then smiled. "I'm always forgetting that you pretty much live by chivalry. Carry on and have some fun." Aaron nodded and walked over to where the food was. Not surprisingly, Ruby was also over there. As Aaron approached though, he felt Yang's eyes boring into the back of his head.
As Aaron reached the food table, he heard the main doors open up again. He saw Blake and Sun walk in, her arm on his. Yang had another small freak-out session, then took Blake's other arm. The two girls made their way to the dance floor, and started their own dance, different from literally everyone else in the room.
"Looks like Yang did it," Ruby said by Aaron's side.
"Do two women usually dance together here?" he asked while scratching his head. "I never heard of such a thing back in Alagaësia."
"Eh, here and back home, people, for the most part, don't give a shit what gender someone is. Most people just care about knowing something about who the other person is." Percy said, startling both of them for a second. Looking around, Aaron could see the rest of Percy's team scattered across the room in positions that would allow them to easily react to a threat with extreme efficiency, while not leaving them looking out of place.
"How do you do that?" Ruby asked.
"I was trained by an intelligence organization that can manage to hide a five-and-a-half-kilometer long warship. I know how to sneak up on someone." He replied.
"Ruby Rose!" Aaron heard Weiss yell off to the side. He turned to see the steaming heiress storm over to him and Ruby. "You asked to borrow a dress of mine, so where…is…it?" Weiss slowed down and her eyes grew wide, most likely looking at Ruby's right arm.
"Sorry Weiss." Ruby scratched behind her head with her right hand. "You were right. I should have gotten it fitted correctly."
Weiss stayed silent for a few seconds. "And that?" She pointed roughly at Ruby's arm.
Ruby smiled. "I promise I'll explain everything when we all get back to the room."
The heiress hesitated and smiled. "Well, at least you found something that fit well."
Soon after, Yang joined her other teammates by the punch bowl. All four of them looked at Blake and Sun dancing. For the first time in a long time, Aaron saw a genuine smile on Blake's face.
"I told you she would come," Yang said.
"Mission accomplished," Weiss agreed.
"It looks like the team is back to full strength." Aaron looked at the girls around him, then back at Blake. It had been slightly less than two weeks since they went after the White Fang, but it all felt so much longer.
"So…what do we do now?" Ruby asked while looking back and forth between her teammates.
"Just have fun!" Yang said before walking back to her podium. Weiss also turned and walked away.
Ruby turned frantically between the two. "Does this mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" She looked down and groaned. "Stupid lady stilts…"
Aaron lightly chuckled at Ruby, then felt Nalia press against his mind. Ask her to dance, she said.
Wait, what? Aaron turned to look in the general direction of his dragon.
Ask her to dance. Nalia had a mischievous feel to her thoughts.
First Yang, now you? What's going on here?
Nalia mentally hummed. You may not have noticed it, but you've had a feeling in the back of your head since we rescued Violet. It's only grown since she refused payment from taking out the Nevermores' base.
Aaron messed up his face as he stared at the wall. Are you saying I have feelings for Ruby? She's my student.
Why else would you tell her everything on that balcony? You barely even admit any of that to me. Aaron blinked a few times then turned back to Ruby. Since he started his conversation with Nalia, Professor Ozpin had snuck in and started a conversation with Ruby. Aaron searched his own head for the feeling that Nalia spoke about. Ruby was smart, funny, and, he had to admit, cute. Still, she was his student from the day they officially met. That kind of relationship was forbidden back on Vroengard. Then again, theirs wasn't a master and apprentice relationship, and the old rules didn't completely apply anymore.
Aaron sighed and shook his head. Fine, but only to get you off my back. He hung back while the other two finished their conversation. When Ozpin left, Aaron took his place by Ruby's side. He stuck a hand out like he had seen so many other people do. "Ruby, may I have this dance?"
Ruby looked up at Aaron with a mixture of confusion and fear. "Um, what?"
"I asked if you would like to dance. That's what you do at these things, right?"
Ruby blushed and rapidly looked between Aaron and presumably where Cerise lay. "But...I can't dance…"
"I'll lead." The truth was, he didn't know how to dance either. Aaron just watched everyone else in the room and how they moved. He hoped he could at least replicate it.
"It's a slow dance" Ruby looked back to the floor. Her head sunk in between her shoulders.
"I know." Aaron didn't know the significance of a 'slow' dance compared to a fast one though.
Ruby looked back up at Aaron, a nervous smile on her face. "Heels?" Her voice was even more higher pitched than normal.
A corner of Aaron's mouth rose. "I won't let you fall."
The red Rider blushed even more and turned toward Cerise again. After a few seconds, she faced Aaron again and nodded. Ruby hesitantly took the other Rider's hand. The two of them made their way out onto the dance floor. They found an empty spot on the dance floor and joined in with the rest of the students. Even as Ruby took her first steps in the dance, she looked extremely uncertain on whether it was a good idea to be dancing.
Aaron was in a similar boat. While he tried to keep a smile on his face, inside he was worried about not making a fool of himself. One, two, three. One, two, three. Step, in, time. Don't-step, on, her-feet. As the two Riders slowly danced in a circle, Aaron looked and listened around. People were having conversations while dancing, so Aaron decided to strike one up. "You do something with your hair?" he asked.
Ruby blinked and blushed again. "Uh, yeah. I accented the red before I came here. It's not too much is it?"
"I kind of like it." Ruby's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, then she lost her balance. She started to fall backwards, but Aaron caught her just in time. He belatedly realized that their position made the fall look like and intentional dip. Aaron pulled Ruby back to her feet and smiled. "Told you I wouldn't let you fall."
"Thanks." Ruby smiled again but her cheeks turned even more red, most likely from embarrassment that time though. "How many times have you done this before? You're doing too good for a first timer."
Aaron gently shrugged while still keeping in rhythm. "This is a first time for me actually. Never danced with anyone before."
Ruby blinked. "You're lying. There's no way you can be this steady right away."
"If you haven't noticed, you're keeping up really well too." The two Riders continued their dance until the music stopped. From there, they left the dance floor and returned to their places by the punch bowl. They stood awkwardly by each other's side while the next song played.
"Uh, I'm going to go find a bathroom," Ruby mumbled, then walked away, only stumbling a little in her stick heels.
Aaron sighed, then turned his head toward the Dragonhouse. Happy now? he shot at Nalia.
Are you? Nalia sent back with more than a hint of amusement in her voice.
Well, yeah, but, since when do dragons play matchmaker for their Riders?
Well, when our Riders like someone and we approve…
Nalia, please drop it. Aaron pulled back into his own head, then realized at some point Yang showed up by his side. "Can I help you with something?'
Yang crossed her arms. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?" She asked with a neutral face.
Aaron narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
The other Rider rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you and Ruby becoming more than just friends?"
Aaron stood silent for a second. "I thought you called this a 'dance,' and I figured you should dance at a dance. How was that any different from when you and Blake danced?"
"Because everyone knows Blake likes Sun, and Ruby is my baby sister. If anyone gets that close to her, I need to protect her."
Aaron chose his words wisely, and decided to say them in the Ancient Language to remove any doubt from Yang's mind. "There is nothing going on between me and Ruby."
Yang's face stayed blank for another few seconds, processing the words. Then a small smile formed on her face. "Good, cause if there was, we would have to have a conversation you wouldn't enjoy."
"I don't doubt that." Aaron turned his attention back to the dance floor, yet Ruby's smile was stuck in his head.
POV: Ruby
Ruby's knees were shaking as she stood on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. That was…different, she told her dragon for the umpteenth time.
Was is a good different? Cerise asked.
I…I don't know. Ruby's mind went back to Aaron and her dance. It was so sudden. She just finished telling Ozpin that she wasn't a dancey kind of girl, then Aaron comes out of nowhere and asked her to dance. He was insistent too. Couldn't he tell that she didn't want to dance? What was that about Ruby being Aaron's first dance partner? Did that mean something in Alagaësia?
Admit it, you enjoyed it. Cerise sent her amusement to her Rider.
Be quiet, will you? I'm already going to have to deal with Yang. Ruby turned her head to the left and saw her sister and Aaron walking over to her. Speaking of which…
"There you are," Yang said. "How was your dance?"
Ruby sighed. "Okay, I guess? I don't really have anything to compare it to." The three teammates looked out over the dance floor.
"Y'know, I think we really needed this," Yang said.
"Some of us more than others," Aaron agreed.
"Damn right." Yet again, they were startled by a member of Gray team, this time David. Instead of responding, they simply rolled their eyes.
"You did a great job planning it, too." Ruby said while watching Penny start a dance of her own.
Yang smiled and put an arm around her sister's neck. She pulled Ruby in close for a choke hold. Ruby flailed her arms trying to get free. "Aw, thanks. It wasn't all me though, Weiss did a lot too."
Ruby stopped flailing around and looked back down to the floor. Weiss was sitting alone until Neptune walked over to her. His body language said he was nervous, but he still took a seat beside Weiss.
Yang released her sister and sighed. "Tomorrow it's back to work."
"The official mission and our two side missions," Aaron started. "This week is going to be busy."
"Well, I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby heard a lot of laughter coming from below her. She looked over the railing and saw Jaune in a white dress making his way onto the dance floor. "Except for that."
"That brings back memories," Aaron mumbled.
Both sisters turned to look at the guy. "Don't tell me you wore a dress at one point," Yang said, barely keeping a straight face.
Aaron scratched the back of his head. "I lost a bet. Had to wear one for an entire day."
There was silence between the three for a few seconds, then Ruby, Yang, and David burst out laughing. "I wish I could have seen that," Yang managed to get out.
"You'd make it look good," Ruby said while covering her mouth.
Aaron's cheeks turned red, then his head snapped around and his eyes went blank. "Sorry girls, but I've got to go," he stated in his 'I mean business' voice. He turned around and quickly walked toward the doors.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked, concerned. She stretched her mind out in the direction Aaron looked. It didn't take her long to find the one panicked hiker.
Stay out of this one you two, Nalia cut in. Aaron and I can handle this. No reason to over commit.
Ruby sighed and Yang curled her fingers into fists. "Yang, what's wrong?" Ruby asked. "They've got this."
"Last time Nalia told me she didn't need backup…" Yang looked at her sister with sad eyes.
Ruby put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Yang, where they're from, they're professionals. At this point, I'd trust their experience over my own. If they say they can handle it, they can." She paused. "We didn't know about the combat Bullheads that day. The guy out there now is being chased by Grimm, not people."
"Why is he out there alone anyway?" Yang leaned down on the railing.
"Beats me." Ruby backed away from her sister. "I'm going to get some fresh air." Just as she was backing away from the railing, she saw team JNPR start a combined dance on the floor. Ruby walked down the stairs and out into the courtyard outside the ballroom.
The outline of an envelope appeared in the top right corner of her vision. Ruby blinked to open it, and a text message from Penny displayed on her right eye. 'I saw you were able to make the skin. Is the rest working for you?'
Ruby smiled and looked around herself. "So far, everything's working fine," she whispered. The words appeared under Penny's message. "Send." The messages disappeared and the words 'message sent' took their place.
Motion on the roofs of the buildings across from Ruby caught her eye. There was someone running and jumping across rooftops. That couldn't be good. It wasn't common for people to report stolen items at Beacon, but it wasn't unheard of.
Ruby narrowed her eyes at where the suspect disappeared behind a roof. That person could very well be the egg thief, or know who it is. Cerise, I'm going to check something out.
Cerise sent her concern through her thoughts. Be careful, Ruby.
Don't worry, I'm sure I can take one person. Ruby walked in the general direction of the thief. She had to walk around a few buildings, but she more or less made it a straight line. Hesitantly, she stretched her mind out to try and figure out where exactly the person was. Unfortunately, she didn't exactly know what to look for since every person's mind was different.
One though, stood out. Instead of it being open like the rest, it was walled off. The way it was done though was foreign to Ruby. Yang's defenses only allowed the attacker to see an image of Zwei, while Aaron's was one of Nalia's scales. The dragons' minds felt completely different no matter if they were defended or not. This wall was nothing but darkness. There was someone else at Beacon who could shield their mind.
With this in mind, Ruby creeped around even more cautiously. She was prepared to bring up her own mental defenses at a moment's notice. The base of the CCT tower came into view as she walked around another corner. Inside, other people were losing consciousness in one way or another. The shielded mind was in the center. Ruby gasped as she saw armed guards lying on the ground. She pulled out her scroll and punched in the code to bring Crescent Rose to her location.
Her rocket locker crashed down a few seconds later. It popped open and Ruby grabbed her weapon. Yang, she called, there's something going on out here, I may need backup.
Yang's response didn't take long. Can you wait for me or someone else? she asked, concern evident in her thoughts.
Ruby winced as two more people lost consciousness. I don't think so, I have to move now. She extended Crescent Rose ran as fast as she could in her heels toward the tower. The lobby was littered with more guards. Ruby bit her lip as she called an elevator. Whoever did this was experienced. The young Rider didn't think she'd be able to take down a room full of guards and move on.
The elevator doors opened and two more guards lay on the floor. Ruby winced as she stepped in. She turned around and almost placed her own scroll against the ID scanner. It wouldn't work at that time. She bent down and searched on of the guards for his. "Sorry about this," Ruby said as she took the guard's scroll and placed it against the scanner. The elevator doors closed and the car moved up.
Ruby took several deep breaths as she moved up. Don't think about last time, she thought to herself. Think about what you know. It's only one person. Whoever it is, he or she can shield his or her mind. The only other one who can do that are on my team. Slight dread overtook Ruby. Could the egg have hatched for the thief?
There wasn't time to dwell on it though. The doors opened and Ruby stepped out into the main communications room. "Hello?" she called. As she took a few steps forward, she tripped on her heels again. She scowled at them again, the continued scanning the room. "Is anyone there? Hello?" Of course, Ruby knew exactly where the intruder was. She was just trying to give whoever it was a chance to give up, not that her or she would take it.
A woman dressed completely in black stood up from behind the reception desk. She slowly walked out from behind it at stared at Ruby. "Excuse me," the Rider said, "You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-"
The woman grabbed a vial off her belt and swung it in front of her. The particles left behind condensed into glass. Ruby swung her scythe in front of her to block the glass as they became projectiles. She finished the spin by pointing the business end of her weapon at the intruder. Multiple Dust rounds shot out of Crescent Rose and at the intruder, but she blocked every single one with her hand. The intruder spun around and formed two short swords out of the glass.
Ruby fired Crescent Rose behind her and launched herself at the woman. Somehow, the attack missed as the intruder backflipped out of the way. Somewhere in the between the first and second flip, the woman's swords became a bow. She fired three explosive arrows at Ruby, who barely managed to get out of the way. Ruby dug the end of her scythe into the ground and stared at the intruder.
The Rider heard the elevator doors open behind her. She turned around to see General Ironwood step into the room. Ruby smiled, confident with the backup the intruder would be outmatched. But when she turned back to face her opponent, she was gone. No mental walls, or any minds besides Ironwood's.
Ruby! What's going on up there? Yang called. I could have sworn I heard gunshots.
Has anyone left the building in the last few seconds? Ruby sent back.
There was a moment of silence. No one's left. You okay?
Ruby sighed and folded up Crescent Rose. I'm perfectly fine. General Ironwood is here now though. I don't think I'll be able to leave for a while.
Yang mentally sighed. Okay. I'll fill the others in. Just don't say anything bad up there.
I won't, Ruby promised, then contacted Cerise. I don't suppose you know where she went.
Cerise mentally growled. No. She disappeared from there and I can't place her anywhere else. She's gone.
There was a pause before Ruby spoke next. Do you think the egg could have hatched for her?
…I don't know.
Yes, yes, I know I didn't change much, but hey. You try finding something to change and be able to justify Cinder being able to escape when dealing with a Spartan.